White Chocolate Mousse for #theBookClubCookbookCC

Here we are at month four in #thebookclubcookbookCC, a year-long journey to explore - and cook from - The Book Club Cookbook, Revised Edition: Recipes and Food for Thought from Your Book Club's Favorite Books and Authors by Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp.* Judy, Vicki, and their publisher, Tarcher-Penguin, have provided the hosting bloggers with copies of the book plus copies to giveaway each month of the project. Woohoo. Incredibly generous.

This month Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm has selected Three Junes by Julia Glass.** Click to read her invitation: here.

The recipe Judy and Vicki shared for the cookbook selection is White Chocolate Mousse. Quick note: while this, my official post, is about the white chocolate mousse, I was inspired to make Tastings of a Sunset earlier in the month.

On the Page...

This book follows a family through three different Junes: 1989, 1995, and 1999. In a way, these are three interconnected novellas where the characters collide; each June narrative is centered around a death in the family and is told from three different viewpoints. It's not a confusing technique, but, in my estimation, it feels a little bit clunky. And while the characters are incredibly nuanced and tragic, the word that comes to mind about this is 'uncertainty.' I finished the book, closed the cover, took a deep breath, and was still undecided if I liked it, or not. That uncertainty is a strange conclusion, given that I am usually very quick to judge whether a book is worthy or not, whether I'd recommend it to friends, and whether it has earned a place on my shelf or will be donated to the library. With Three Junes, I am undecided. I am still carrying it in my purse. I don't know why!

On the Plate...

There were several different things I considered making. I already mentioned that I was inspired earlier in the month to poach some quince. I thought about "American approach to bereavement: martini therapy" (pg. 48)  as I have been to two memorials for friends' parents in as many weeks this month.

I considered Dennis' "frozen lime custards. In their pale blue ramekins, they look like tiny swimming pools" (pg 82).

And I will make "loin of pork baked with yogurt, cinnamon, and potatoes" one of these days.

But, in the end, I decided to make the dish we were assigned. Gasp! How could I not, really? Read this. "I can still taste the white chocolate mousse, worthy of a dinner on Mount Olympus." Okay. A mousse worth of the Greek gods. Yep. I had to do it.

White Chocolate Mousse

only slightly adapted from the recipe printed in The Book Club Cookbook, Revised Edition: Recipes and 

Food for Thought from Your Book Club's Favorite Books and Authors by Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp
*reproduced with permission*

Ingredients

• 6 eggs, separated
• 1 C organic powdered sugar
• 1/3 C pear liqueur (I didn't have pear brandy)
• 10 ounces white chocolate, chopped
• 4 T unsalted butter
• 2 C organic heavy whipping cream
• mint sprigs for garnishing

Procedure

Combine the egg yolks, powdered sugar, and pear liqueur in a small mixing bowl that can sit on top of a medium saucepan. Beat until lightened, approximately 5 minutes. Place the bowl as the top of a double-boiler. Whisk constantly until thickened, approximately 5 to 7 minutes

Melt the white chocolate and butter in a saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly until smooth. Remove from heat and add the chocolate mixture to the egg mixture.

In a chilled bowl, beat the whipped cream until stiff peaks form. In another bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form,

Gently fold the egg whites into the whipped cream.

Fold the white chocolate mixture into the egg whites-whipped cream.

Spoon the mousse into your serving glasses. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator until chilled and set, approximately 3 to 4 hours. When ready to serve, garnish with mint sprigs.

Giveaway

This month Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm, this month's host, is giving away a copy of the book.* Enter to win a copy of the cookbook so you can join us in future months, if you wish!

One of our lucky readers - US and Canada only! - can enter to win a copy of The Book Club Cookbook, Revised Edition: Recipes and Food for Thought from Your Book Club's Favorite Books and Authors by Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp, courtesy of Tarcher-Penguin. Giveaway runs from October 1st till October 31st at 4 o'clock PM, Pacific time. Please see terms and conditions in the rafflecopter widget below. Many thanks to Tarcher Books. You may find Tarcher: on the web, on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Pinterest.

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*Disclosure: Wendy received a complimentary copy of The Book Club Cookbook, Revised Edition: Recipes and Food for Thought from Your Book Club's Favorite Books and Authors by Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp as an opportunity to give a copy away. Opinions are our own. We received no further compensation for our posts.

**This blog currently has a partnership with Amazon.com in their affiliate program, which gives me a small percentage of sales if you buy a product through a link on my blog. It doesn't cost you anything more. But if you are uncomfortable with this, feel free to go directly to Amazon.com and search for the item of your choice.